National legislators and political advisers from Hong Kong have called for wider adoption of technology and optimizing policies to enhance connectivity within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. If accepted, the proposals they submitted during the ongoing two sessions are expected to boost regional development and significantly improve residents’ daily lives.
Their suggestions will build on the Greater Bay Area’s years of investment in infrastructure, and regulatory improvements aimed at facilitating increased cross-border exchanges. Those efforts have included enhancing transportation links and streamlining regulations related to data flow.
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Lui Kin, a Hong Kong member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the nation’s top advisory body, highlighted the potential of the low-altitude economy — economic activities in airspace below 1,000 meters — in reshaping the regional logistics landscape.
Lui suggested launching pilot programs for cargo delivery by drones and electric vertical takeoff aircraft. Initially, these programs would transport small, high-value things such as documents and electronics items between designated locations in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, potentially to and from Shenzhen’s Qianhai zone and the Hong Kong side of the Shenzhen Bay Port; and the Hong Kong and Shenzhen parks of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone.
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Lui also highlighted the need for updating policies and regulations to support these emerging activities, adding that he hopes the central authorities allow local governments in the Greater Bay Area to revise customs clearance procedures for drone-delivered cargo, and establish standards for essential infrastructure, such as stations for drones to take off and land.
“This work would not only facilitate the integration of the Greater Bay Area and the applications of low-altitude economy, but also make the 11-city cluster a global pioneer and role model in setting relevant standards,” Lui said.
Hendrick Sin, a Hong Kong deputy to the National People’s Congress — the nation’s top legislature — called for relaxing regulations on cross-border vehicles to better accommodate self-driving vehicles at land ports.
Sin proposed allowing dual-licensed vehicles to have access to one more border crossing aside from the one the drivers currently use. He said this measure is necessary, even if only temporarily, during holidays when congestion at the ports can lead to hours-long delays.
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Sin, the vice-chairman of Hong Kong-listed mobile game publisher CMGE Technology Group, said that expanding available checkpoints would enable drivers to choose border crossings according to real-time conditions and traffic demands. Sin recommended setting a cap during the transition period on the number of temporary permits issued and charging users appropriate fees.
He also recommended optimizing the management of dual-plated and single-plated Hong Kong vehicles and establishing a new vehicle management system that could eventually include Chinese mainland vehicles traveling south to Hong Kong, a proposal that is still under discussion.
Hong Kong NPC Deputy Priscilla Leung Mei-fun proposed stronger, all-inclusive regulations for cross-border data flow within the Greater Bay Area, possibly through national legislation.
She pointed to the differences in data protection laws and practices among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao as the reason for the need of better legal coordination and integrating a relevant legislative framework and rules across the three places. The legislation, once drafted, could provide clear guidance for different scenarios of cross-border data use, and impose restrictions on transferring sensitive data, Leung said.
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In 2023, progress was made in simplifying data flow between Hong Kong and the nine mainland Greater Bay Area cities. The Cyberspace Administration of China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region launched the Greater Bay Area Standard Contract, outlining the obligations and responsibilities of parties involved in protecting personal information transferred across the border. The agreement initially applied to the banking, credit referencing and healthcare sectors before being expanded to cover all sectors last year.
William Wong Kam-fai, a national political adviser from Hong Kong, echoed the importance of facilitating cross-border data access, especially to support innovation and technology development. Wong, an engineering professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said that the tech sector needs access to extensive datasets, including data from the mainland, to train local large language models and other artificial intelligence products.
Maggie Chan Man-ki, a Hong Kong solicitor who serves as both a national and local lawmaker, proposed measures to improve cross-border healthcare services for Hong Kong seniors living in mainland cities, where they face differences in care systems and policies. She called for establishing an integrated information platform to provide comprehensive details about daily life, healthcare services, and pension arrangements available to those living in, or intending to move to, other Greater Bay Area cities.
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Following the discussions at this year’s two sessions, Hong Kong residents and businesspeople are anticipating more supportive policies, such as those on housing and education.
Carolina Yu Wai-shan, dean of the Enterprise Management Academy at Hong Kong-based Ka Shui International Holdings, cited her own experience of the Greater Bay Area’s “one-hour living circle” while working for the company’s Shenzhen and Huizhou branches for almost two decades.
Yu praised the supportive policies designed to attract and retain talent from Hong Kong, Macao, and overseas. As a Hong Kong resident now living and working outside the city, she was granted a mainland residence permit and a social insurance account, making life more convenient for her. The country has also introduced various “green channels” for talent, including allowing eligible Hong Kong technical professionals to directly apply for senior engineer positions in the mainland’s engineering sector if they meet the criteria.
Wu Kunling in Hong Kong contributed to this story.
